Custom-Moldable Composite Material

ABSTRACT

A custom-moldable ultraviolet (UV) light curable composite material includes a piece of woven fabric having opposite first and second surfaces, a plurality of spaced wires woven into the piece of woven fabric in a crisscross pattern, an ultraviolet light curable resin permeating the fabric and wires, and dry, moldable, protective film layers that are removably attached to the opposite first and second surfaces of the piece of woven fabric. 
     The plurality of wires woven into the piece of fabric allow the fabric to be molded into a desired configuration where the wires hold the fabric in the molded configuration. Exposing the molded fabric to ultraviolet light cures the resin and completes the fabrication of the composite in the molded configuration.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of the priority filing date of provisional application Ser. No. 61/269,839, filed on Jun. 29, 2009.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention pertains to a custom-moldable ultraviolet (UV) light curable composite material. The material includes a piece of woven fabric having opposite first and second surfaces. A plurality of spaced wires are woven into the piece of woven fabric. The fabric and the wires are permeated with an ultraviolet light curable resin. Dry, moldable protective film layers are removably attached to the opposite first and second surfaces of the piece of woven fabric.

The plurality of wires woven into the piece of fabric allow the fabric to be molded into a desired configuration where the wires hold the fabric in the molded configuration. The layers of dry, moldable film on the opposite sides of the composite material keep the resin fully contained within the film layers and allow the material to be formed and fabricated with no mess. Exposing the molded fabric to ultraviolet light cures the resin and removing one or both of the film layers completes the fabrication of the composite in the molded configuration.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the art of making custom fiberglass composite parts, a number of time consuming and expensive preparations are often needed.

Fiberglass composite fabrication typically involves applying a layer of resin to a surface of a mold and then pressing a patch or strip of fiberglass material onto the layer of resin to infuse the resin into the fiberglass material. It is therefore necessary to first construct a mold representing the desired final shape of the part. The mold must be constructed from select materials to avoid the mold surface adhering to the composite resin. Depending on the shape and size of the final part desired, it may be necessary to construct the mold in two or more parts.

Once the mold construction is completed, it is prepared for a layup of resin mixed with a catalyst that initiates a curing reaction in the resin. The resin and mixed catalyst are applied to the mold surface, followed by strips and/or pieces of the woven fiber material which are pressed into the resin layer on the mold surface. With the curing catalyst having been mixed with the resin and the curing reaction taking place, there is only a limited time available to “layup” the strips and/or patches of fiber material. It is also often necessary to repeat these steps in several sessions in order to make one final part.

Pre-impregnated fiber material employing a heat-curable resin permeating the material strip or patch is also often used in making custom fiberglass composite parts. In pre-impregnated, or pre-preg fiber material, the resin and curing agent are already properly mixed into the fiber material. This provides the user some advantages.

In constructing custom composite parts by first mixing the resin and curing agent, applying the mixed resin to the mold surface and then applying the fiber material to the resin on the mold surface, it is often difficult to obtain a certain desired fiber-to-resin ratio. With the pre-preg material, this problem is overcome as the material has already been pre-impregnated with the desired fiber-to-resin ratio. Using pre-preg material also avoids some of the mess associated with the wet layup of resin on the mold surface.

However, pre-preg materials also have some disadvantages. Pre-preg materials often use heat to initiate and control the curing process of the materials. This results in the material having a limited and temperature-sensitive shelf life. Pre-preg materials that employ heat as a curing agent typically require refrigeration storage.

Pre-preg materials also often require a more substantial and more expensive method to fabricate a final custom part. These materials often require molds having a vacuum source that draws the material to the mold surface and holds the material on the mold surface as the resin in the material cures. The pre-preg material is pulled to the mold surface and into conformance with the mold surface by pulling a vacuum on the entire assembly. Once the pre-preg material has been pulled into conformance with the mold surface, the entire assembly must then be moved into an oven or an autoclave in order to cure the resin in the material. This method typically yields a better composite part, but the method is very time consuming, very expensive, and requires the specialized tools such as the vacuum molds and oven for the mold.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disadvantages of fiberglass composite fabrication discussed above are overcome by the custom-moldable composite material of the present invention. The custom-moldable composite material is comprised of a flexible material of interwoven warp and fill yarns. The material can have a patch-like configuration with opposite first and second surfaces, or an elongate strip configuration with opposite ends and opposite first and second surfaces.

A plurality of regularly spaced, longitudinally and laterally oriented malleable wires are woven into the warp and fill yarns of the material. The wires are interwoven in a crisscross pattern into the material.

An ultraviolet light curable resin permeates the interwoven warp and fill yarns of the material and the plurality of wires interwoven into the warp and fill yarns of the material.

A first layer of dry, moldable protective film is removably attached to the first surface of the material and a second layer of dry, moldable protective film is removably attached to the second surface of the material. The first and second films are transparent to ultraviolet light and can be manually peeled away from the respective first and second surfaces of the material.

The interwoven warp and fill yarns of the flexible material allow the material to be molded into a very complex shape with curves of compound radiuses. The woven yarns and wires of the material allow the material to be formed into the desired shape quickly with no tooling required.

The two layers of film on the opposite sides of the material allow the material to be formed and fabricated with no mess. The film layers keep the resin fully contained in the material and aid in the anaerobic curing of the resin. If needed, the film layers can be heated to make them more pliable and to reduce any resistance they would pose to the shaping of the material.

The use of ultraviolet light curing resin in the material removes the need for climate-controlled storage, and provides the material with a very long shelf life. The resin enclosed between the transparent film layers is cured only by exposure of the composite material to ultraviolet radiation or ultraviolet light, available from direct sunlight or from an ultraviolet light lamp. The curing reaction, once initiated by the ultraviolet light exposure can be extremely fast, attaining a full cure of the custom-molded part in approximately two or three minutes. This provides the user of the material with excellent control over the entire molding process, from fabricating or shaping the custom part to the desired shape, to curing which can be slow to extremely fast. The first and second protective film layers can then be peeled away from the opposite sides of the molded material.

In a further embodiment of the custom-moldable composite material of the invention, a first ultraviolet (UV) light filtering film layer is removably attached over the first protective film layer and a second ultraviolet (UV) light filtering layer is removably attached to the second protective film layer. The first and second ultraviolet light filtering film layers shield the resin impregnated material from exposure to ultraviolet light and thereby prevent the curing of the resin permeating the material. This embodiment of the composite material can be shaped and molded in an environment having some UV light. The first and second ultraviolet light filtering film layers are then peeled away from the first and second protective film layers to expose the composite material to UV light and enable the resin permeating the material to cure. After curing, the first and second protective film layers can then be removed.

In each embodiment of the composite material, there is no mixing of curing catalysts with the resin required, no special tooling required, no ovens or vacuum molds required, and complicated curing cycles are eliminated. The custom-moldable composite material of the invention enables the user to simply fabricate a custom part and then cure it, in place, in free air.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Further features of the invention are set forth in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and in the drawing figures.

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a perspective view of the composite material of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a side elevation view of the composite material of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a perspective view of a further embodiment of the composite material of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The moldable composite material 10 of the present invention is basically comprised of flexible material 12 having opposite first and second surfaces, a plurality of wires 14, 16 interwoven into the material, an ultraviolet light curable resin 18 permeating the material, and first 22 and second 24 dry, moldable, protective and ultraviolet light (UV) transparent films removably attached to the opposite first and second surfaces of the material. These basic component parts of the invention provide a simple and inexpensive moldable composite material that can be manually shaped into a desired configuration with or without the use of molds and without contacting the tacky resin of the material, and then quickly cured in the molded configuration without mixing curing agents into the resin of the material and without the need for an oven heat source or other heat source for curing the material.

The flexible material 12 is shown schematically in the drawing figures. The material 12 can be provided in the configuration of a patch having opposite first 32 and second 34 surfaces, or an elongate strip of material having opposite first 32 and second 34 surfaces. The elongate strip of the material 12 could be rolled up into a cylindrical configuration around a first end of the elongate strip to facilitate the storage, shipping and handling of the material. The material 12 is preferably a fiberglass twill weave material. Other materials such as carbon fiber cloth and Kevlar®-type synthetic fiber cloth could be used as the flexible material. Other weaves such as a plain weave or a satin weave could be used. In addition, the flexible material 12 could be provided in a mesh construction. The material 12 is basically comprised of interwoven warp and fill fibers that primarily make up the density or thickness of the material and define the opposite first 32 and second 34 surfaces of the material. In the schematic representation of the material 12 is shown in the drawing figures not all of the warp and fill fibers are shown. It should be understood that the warp and fill fibers give the material 12 a density that is common to known fiber weaves.

The plurality of wires include a plurality of regularly spaced, longitudinally 14 and laterally 16 oriented malleable wires. The wires 14, 16 are interwoven in the warp and fill fibers of the material 12. What is meant by the wires 14, 16 being interwoven into the material 12 is that the wires 14, 16 are not merely laid against one of the opposite first 32 and second 34 surfaces of the material 12, but that the wires 14, 16 are interwoven or interlaced with the warp and fill fibers of the material 12 and become part of the weave of the material 12. The longitudinally oriented wires 14 and the laterally oriented wires 16 are interwoven in a crisscross pattern into the warp and fill fibers of the material 12. As represented schematically in the drawing figures, the longitudinally oriented wires 14 are interwoven into the warp and fill fibers with a regular spacing between the wires 14, and the laterally oriented wires 16 are interwoven into the warp and fill fibers with a regular spacing between the laterally oriented wires 16. The malleable wires 14, 16 can be manually bent or shaped into a desired configuration and then will hold that shape.

The preferred twill weave of the warp and fill yarns of the flexible material 12 allow the material to be molded into a very complex shape with curves of compound radiuses with no tooling or vacuum source required. The plurality of wires 14, 16 interwoven into the warp and fill yarns of the flexible material 12 allow the material to remain in the desired shape.

The flexible material 12 and the wires 14, 16 interwoven into the material are permeated with any known curable substance that cures on exposure to a curing agent. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the curable substance is an ultraviolet light curable resin 18 permeating the material 12 which cures on exposure of the resin 18 to ultraviolet light. The resin 18 includes the polyester resins and photoinitiators that are mixed in predetermined proportions for optimal performance, and the resin mixture permeates the flexible material 12 and the plurality of wires 14, 16.

The first film layer 22 is a flexible sheet of dry film that is removably attached over the entire first surface 32 of the flexible material 12. By removably attached, what is meant is that the first film layer 22 is securely attached to the first surface 32 of the material 12, but can be easily manually peeled away from the first surface 32. Furthermore, the first film layer 22 can be partially peeled away from a portion of the first surface 32 with a remaining portion of the first film layer 22 still securably attached to the first surface 32. The remaining portion of the first film layer 22 can then be subsequently peeled away from the first surface 32 of the flexible material 12. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the first film layer 22 is a dry, moldable, protective and ultraviolet (UV) light transparent film. The film layer 22 is composed of a long chain thermoplastic that is very thin, has low tensile strength, high elongation and is fully resistant to any chemical attack by the resin 18. The first film layer 22 is dry to the touch, thereby enabling the manual molding of the composite material 10 while avoiding contact with the tacky resin 18 of the composite material 10.

The second film layer 24 has the same construction as the first film layer 22. Together, the first film layer 22 and second film layer 24 completely sandwich and enclose the flexible material 12 and the resin 18 permeating the material 12.

The two film layers 22, 24 on the opposite sides of the material 12 allow the material to be manually formed and fabricated with no mess. The film layers 22, 24 keep the resin 18 fully contained in the composite material 10. If needed, the film layers 22, 24 can be heated to make them more pliable and to reduce any resistance the film layers would pose to the shaping of the composite material 10.

The ultraviolet light curable resin 18 permeating the material 12 removes the need for climate-controlled storage, and provides the composite material 10 with a very long shelf life. The resin 18 is cured only by exposure to ultraviolet radiation or ultraviolet light, available from direct sunlight or from an ultraviolet light lamp.

The dry film layers 22, 24 on the opposite sides of the composite material 10 allow the material to be manually molded into the desired shape of the custom part with no mess. The plurality of wires 14, 16 woven into the material 12 hold the molded configuration of the composite material 10. The molded composite material 10 is then exposed to UV light to begin the curing process. The curing reaction, once initiated by the ultraviolet light exposure, can be extremely fast, attaining a full cure of the custom-molded part in approximately two or three minutes. One or both layers of film 22, 24 can then be peeled away from the opposite sides of the molded part. This provides the user of the composite material 10 with excellent control over the entire molding process. From fabricating to shaping the custom-molded part to the desired shape, to curing which can be slow to extremely fast.

FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment of the custom-moldable composite material of the invention. The moldable composite material 10′ of the present invention shown in FIG. 4 includes much of the same construction of the moldable composite material 10 described earlier with reference to FIGS. 1-3. Therefore, the same reference numbers employed earlier in describing the construction of the moldable composite material 10 of the present invention are employed in FIG. 4, with the reference numbers followed by a prime (′). Like the previously-described embodiment of the moldable composite material 10, the moldable composite material 10′ also includes the flexible material 12′ having opposite first 32′ and second 34′ surfaces, a plurality of wires 14′, 16′ interwoven into the flexible material 12′, an ultraviolet light curable resin 18′ permeating the flexible material 12′, and first 22′ and second 24 dry, moldable, protective and ultraviolet light (UV) transparent films removably attached to the opposite first and second surfaces of the material.

In addition to the above, the moldable composite material 10′ of FIG. 4 includes a first ultraviolet light shielding or filtering film layer 42 that is removably attached over the entire surface of the first protective film layer 22′ and a second ultraviolet light shielding or filtering film 44 removably attached over the entire surface of the second protective film layer 24′. Again, by removably attached, what is meant is that the first ultraviolet light shielding layer 42 is securely attached to the first protective film layer 22′, but can be easily manually peeled away from the first protective film layer 22′. Furthermore, the first ultraviolet light shielding layer 42 can be partially peeled away from a portion of the first protective film layer 22′ exposing a portion of the material first surface 32′ which would begin to cure on exposure to ultraviolet light, with a remaining portion of the first ultraviolet light shielding layer 42 still securably attached to the first protective film layer 22′. The remaining portion of the first ultraviolet film layer 42 could then be subsequently peeled away from the first protective film layer 22′ to allow the complete curing of the material 12′ on exposure of the first protective film layer 22′ to ultraviolet light. This allows for a controlled sequential exposure and curing of portions of the material first surface 32′. Like the first 22′ and second 24′ protective film layers, the first 42 and second 44 ultraviolet light shielding layers are dry to the touch, thereby enabling the manual molding of the composite material 10′ and subsequent peeling of the first ultraviolet light shielding layer 42 from the first protective film layer 22′ on the material first surface 32′ while avoiding contact with the tacky resin 18′ of the composite material 10′.

The second ultraviolet light film shielding layer 44 has the same construction and ultraviolet light shielding properties as the first ultraviolet light shielding layer 42. Together, the first ultraviolet light shielding layer 42 and the second ultraviolet light shielding layer 44 completely sandwich and enclose the composite material 10′ and shield the resin 18′ permeating the flexible material 12′ from exposure to ultraviolet light.

This embodiment of the composite material 10′ can be shaped and molded in an environment that has some ultraviolet light. The UV shielding film layers 42, 44 are then peeled away from the opposite first 22′ and second 24′ protective film layers on the respective first 32′ and second 34′ surfaces of the flexible material 12′ to expose the flexible material 12′ and the permeating resin 18′ to ultraviolet light and begin the curing reaction. After curing, the protective film layer 22′, 24′ can then be removed.

There is no mixing of curing catalysts with the resin required, no special tooling required, no ovens or vacuum molds required, and complicated curing cycles are eliminated. The custom-moldable composite material 10 of the invention enables the user to simply fabricate a custom part and then cure it, in place, in free air.

As various modifications could be made to the custom-moldable composite material of the invention described and illustrated herein without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the drawing figures be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents. 

1. A moldable composite material comprising: a piece of woven fabric having opposite first and second surfaces, the piece of woven fabric being permeated with an ultraviolet light-curable resin; a first dry, moldable, protective layer of film removably attached to the first surface of the piece of woven fabric; and, a second dry, moldable, protective layer of film removably attached to the second surface of the piece of woven fabric.
 2. The moldable composite material of claim 1, further comprising: the first protective layer of film being peelable away from the woven fabric first surface to expose the first surface; and, the second protective layer of film being peelable away from the woven fabric second surface to expose the second surface.
 3. The moldable composite material of claim 2, further comprising: a first ultraviolet light shielding layer of film removably attached to the first protective layer of film; and, a second ultraviolet light shielding layer of film removably attached to the second protective layer of film.
 4. The moldable composite material of claim 2, further comprising: the piece of woven fabric being completely sandwiched and enclosed between the first and second layers of film.
 5. The moldable composite material of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of spaced wires woven into the piece of woven fabric.
 6. The moldable composite material of claim 5, further comprising: the plurality of wires being malleable wires.
 7. The moldable composite material of claim 5, further comprising: the plurality of wires being woven into the piece of woven fabric in a crisscross pattern.
 8. The moldable composite material of claim 1, further comprising: the piece of woven fabric being fiberglass cloth.
 9. The moldable composite material of claim 1, further comprising: the piece of woven fabric having a twill weave.
 10. A moldable composite material comprising: a piece of woven fabric having opposite first and second surfaces; a plurality of spaced wires woven into the piece of woven fabric; a curable substance impregnating the pieces of woven fabric, the curable substance curing on exposure to a curing agent; a first dry film layer removably attached to the first surface of the piece of woven fabric; and, a second dry film layer removably attached to the second surface of the piece of woven fabric.
 11. The moldable composite material of claim 10, further comprising: the curable substance being an ultraviolet light curable substance and the curing agent being ultraviolet light.
 12. The moldable composite material of claim 11, further comprising: the first dry film layer and the second dry film layer being constructed of ultraviolet light transparent materials.
 13. The moldable composite material of claim 11, further comprising: a first ultraviolet light shielding film layer removably attached to the first dry film layer; and, a second ultraviolet light shielding film layer removably attached to the second dry film layer.
 14. The moldable composite material of claim 12, further comprising: the first dry film layer and the second dry film layer being peelable away from the respective first and second surfaces of the piece of woven fabric.
 15. The moldable composite material of claim 10, further comprising: the plurality of wires being malleable wires.
 16. The moldable composite material of claim 15, further comprising: the plurality of wires being crisscrossed.
 17. The moldable composite material of claim 10, further comprising: the piece of woven fabric having a twill weave.
 18. The moldable composite material of claim 10, further comprising: the piece of woven fabric being fiberglass cloth.
 19. The moldable composite material of claim 10, further comprising: the piece of woven fabric having an elongate length with opposite first and second ends and having a rolled-up configuration around the first end.
 20. A moldable composite material comprising: a flexible mesh material having opposite first and second surfaces; a plurality of regularly spaced malleable wires interwoven into the mesh material; a curable substance permeating the mesh material and the interwoven wires, the curable substance curing upon exposure of the curable substance to a curing agent; a first dry film layer removably attached to the first surface of the mesh material; and, a second dry film layer removably attached to the second surface of the mesh material.
 21. The moldable composite material of claim 20, further comprising: the curable substance being an ultraviolet light curable substance and the curing agent being ultraviolet light.
 22. The moldable composite material of claim 21, further comprising: the curable substance being a resin.
 23. The moldable composite material of claim 21, further comprising: the plurality of wires interwoven into the mesh material being crisscrossed.
 24. The moldable composite material of claim 21, further comprising: the mesh material having a longitudinal length and a lateral width; and, the plurality of wires interwoven into the mesh material being longitudinally and laterally oriented.
 25. The moldable composite material of claim 21, further comprising: the first dry film layer having ultraviolet light transparent properties; and, the second dry film layer having ultraviolet light transparent properties.
 26. The moldable composite material of claim 25, further comprising: a first ultraviolet light shielding film layer removably attached to the first dry film layer; and, a second ultraviolet light shielding film layer removably attached to the second dry film layer.
 27. The moldable composite material of claim 25, further comprising: the first dry film layer being peelable away from the first surface of the mesh material; and, the second dry film layer being peelable away from the second surface of the mesh material.
 28. The moldable composite material of claim 20, further comprising: the mesh material being a woven fabric.
 29. The moldable composite material of claim 20, further comprising: the mesh material being fiberglass cloth.
 30. A moldable composite material comprising: a flexible material of interwoven warp and fill yarns, the material having opposite first and second surfaces defined by the opposite sides of the interwoven warp and fill yarns; a plurality of regularly spaced, longitudinally and laterally oriented malleable wires interwoven in a crisscross pattern into the warp and fill yarns of the material; an ultraviolet light curable resin permeating the interwoven warp and fill yarns of the material and the plurality of wires interwoven into the warp and fill yarns of the material; a first dry, ultraviolet light transparent film removably attached to the first surface of the material, the first film being peelable from the first surface; and, a second dry, ultraviolet light transparent film removably attached to the second surface of the material, the second film being peelable from the second surface.
 31. The moldable composite material of claim 30, further comprising: a first ultraviolet light shielding film removably attached to the first dry, ultraviolet light transparent film; and, a second ultraviolet light shielding film removably attached to the second dry, ultraviolet light transparent film. 